Hundreds of people came together in Michigan on Wednesday, July 26, to say a final goodbye to Cena, a 10-year-old black lab that served three tours in Afghanistan.
Cena was stricken with terminal bone cancer. The dog received a hero’s farewell before being euthanized on a museum ship in Muskegon and carried off in a flag-draped coffin.
The dog served as a bomb sniffer for the Marines until retiring in 2014, according to Associated Press. Afterward he was reunited with one of his handlers, Lance Cpl. Jeff DeYoung, who organized the funeral. DeYoung was paired with Cena in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010.
When Cena was retired in 2014, DeYoung adopted the dog, making him a service animal. Cena helped him deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“My whole adult life I’ve had Cena,” DeYoung said. “When I was 19 overseas learning how to be responsible, I had Cena. And now I’m 27 and I’m having to say goodbye to one of the biggest pieces of my life.”
